Israeli forces have continued to besiege Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar in the northern Palestinian Jordan Valley for the seventh consecutive day, after closing its last access route and digging a trench that obstructs the movement of residents and vehicles. According to local sources, this has isolated 47 families and thousands of livestock from the surrounding areas, amid acute shortages of water, fodder and medicines and difficulties accessing essential supplies.
Al-Baidar organisation documents access restrictions on the community
The Al-Baidar rights organisation said Israeli forces had imposed a siege and tight restrictions on the movement of residents and solidarity activists seeking to reach the besieged communities in the Ras al-Ahmar area for the sixth consecutive day.
It added that the continued isolation of the area was exacerbating the difficulties faced by residents, particularly farmers and livestock breeders, and affecting their ability to move around and secure their basic needs. Abdullah Basharat, head of the Atuf and Ras al-Ahmar village council, said foreign solidarity activists had reached the area on Sunday and met residents to learn about their situation amid the siege and restrictions.
He added that they had provided “simple aid”, including food supplies and water, in an effort to meet some of the growing needs inside the isolated community. Basharat said the activists had promised to organise a second visit the following week and had told residents they would work to bring members of the Israeli Knesset to see the conditions in which the residents were living.
Access routes closed and agricultural land levelled
He confirmed that Israeli forces were continuing to isolate the area by closing its access routes and digging a trench that prevents residents and vehicles from entering or leaving it. Ras al-Ahmar has witnessed extensive levelling operations by Israeli forces for months, aimed at building a military road through the area.
These operations have included the demolition of artesian wells and plastic greenhouses, as well as the destruction of irrigation networks and pipes used to transport water. Residents rely on these facilities for their agricultural activities and livestock breeding. Mutaz Basharat, the Tubas Governorate official responsible for the Jordan Valley file, said in a statement that settlers wearing Israeli army uniforms had carried out several attacks in the area.
Attacks and restrictions push residents towards displacement
He added that the attacks had included detaining vehicles belonging to residents, demolishing residential and agricultural structures, and cutting water pipes. He said they were intended to tighten pressure on residents and push them towards forced displacement. Thair Basharat, a resident of Ras al-Ahmar, said restrictions on the area had begun to intensify three months ago before escalating over the past seven days after the Israeli army dug a trench at the community’s last remaining access route.
He explained that the area once contained 360,000 dunums of pastureland designated for livestock breeders, with one dunum equivalent to 1,000 square metres. Thair Basharat added that Israeli forces had taken control of parts of those pastures or barred residents from accessing 90% of them.
According to his account, restricted access to these areas had increased the burdens shouldered by farmers and sheep herders, amid shortages of fodder and water and the inability of residents to move normally to neighbouring areas.
